Jenny told
herself she'd been impetuous and childish to walk away from Alex, but she
was furious at his implied accusation against her father. His insistence
that they must leave without finding her dad was unacceptable. If necessary,
she'd visit every hospital in the area.

Finding a cab
was the hard part. She walked swiftly along Victory Boulevard staring at
the battered buildings. Aftershocks rattled the area, setting off car alarms
and jangling her nerves.

She waved frantically
at a passing taxi carrying two passengers. Mercifully the driver
stopped.

"Start at the
nearest hospital." Jenny leaned forward. "I'll check each one if I
must."

"Hey, listen,
there are a lots of people looking for a ride. I don't know..." She caught
his glance in the rear view mirror and understood the implication. He would
need a generous tip for personal door to door service. She nodded and he
took off.

"Don't know which
hospitals are operating." The driver called back. "We'll start with West
Valley Hospital. I'll wait five minutes. No more."

Jenny sprinted
to the patient information desk. Her father wasn't there, the harried
receptionist told her. She received the same response at the next two
hospitals.

Valley Presbyterian
Hospital is our last stop, lady. "I've trucked you all over the valley and
now I gotta report to my manager."

He drove into
the entrance of Valley Presbyterian Hospital. The parking lot was filled
with doctors, nurses and emergency crews serving the first wave of critically
injured, the broken, bruised and shaken-up victims.

"Good luck, lady."
The cabby called after her. "Find another cab home."

Jenny handed him
a generous tip, smiled her thanks and dashed to the information
center.

"Yes, we have
a Philip Lansing. Are you a relative?"

"His daughter."

"He's on the 4th
floor."

She paid no attention
to the receptionist calling after her. "There's a U.S. Marshall guarding
his room. He may not let you in."

-115-

Since the elevator
was inoperative, Jenny raced to the staircase. Intent and focused on seeing
her father and joyfully imagining their reunion, she didn't hear footsteps
directly behind her until a hand was roughly clapped over her
mouth.